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Posted August 9, 2014 09:26 pm - Updated August 9, 2014 09:27 pm

A Petition For Consideration

While I've blogged on the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child and sent a LTE into the Topeka Capitol Journal begging ratification of this precious treaty, with child poverty on the rise and Child In Need of Care cases increasing, I bring a petition to you for consideration.

From The Economist, "opponents of the treaty say it would usurp American sovereignty, a long-standing fear about the UN among some conservative Republicans. There is a fear that the social and economic rights established by the treaty could provoke lawsuits demanding that the government pay for these things. To address such concerns, America generally ratifies human-rights pacts with the condition that they will not overrule existing laws. Parent-rights groups claim the treaty would undermine parents’ authority, particularly over religious and sex education. Michael Farris, head of one such group, ParentalRights.org, sees the treaty’s principle that governments’ decisions should be in the best interest of the child as a blanket permit for the authorities to override any parental decision that a government worker—such as a school official or social worker—disagrees with. Jonathan Todres, a law professor at Georgia State University, disagrees: he notes that the treaty promotes the family as the best environment for children and points out that 19 of the treaty’s provisions acknowledge the role of parents."